Wheel-painting machine.



J. HEINZ.

WHEEL PAINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5, 1909.

939,416, a Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ANDREW. B. GRAHAM 00.. FNuN-umoqmmms. wlwmmon. B4 c.

STATES PATENT "FTC JACOB HEINZ, 013 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO ACME WHITE LEAD AND COLOR WORKS, OF HAMTRAMCK, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

., WHEEL-PAINTING- amerrrn Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB HEINZ, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Wheel-Painting Machine, of which the following is a specification.

My construction relates to that class of devices which is employed for immersing vehicle wheels in a tank or receptacle containing paint, varnish, filler, or priming, so that the liquid may evenly and thoroughly cover every portion of the surface and enter every pore of the material of the wheel,

which devices are provided with means for revolving the coated wheel above the liquid so as to remove the surplus of the liquid by centrifugal force, and the object of this invention is to provide means for forcing the wheel down into the liquid, for properly revolving the wheel after it has risen from the liquid, and for providing a device of this kind wherein all leaks shall be avoided. l attain this object in the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is a side elevation of the complete machine. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine showing some of the parts broken away. Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-'3 of Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

It has been found that where the wheel is supported by a vertical shaft which passes through the bottom of the tank containing the liquid in which the wheel is to be immersed, there is a constant liability of leakage around the shaft. In the present machine this has been overcome by providing a revoluble plate upon which the wheel will be supported, the weight of the wheel being counteracted by a vertical spring. The wheel is immersed by pressing it down from above against the spring by means of a vertically movable spindle. This spindlemay be revolved in either direction so that after the wheel has been properly coated and carried up out of the liquid, the covering will be spread evenly over the wheel and all surplus removed by centrifugal force.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 is a base having two upright frames 2 and 3, the latter being hollow. Abar 4-connects these frames. In the bearings 5 at the upper ends of the frames is revoluble a shaft 6, while in the bearings 7 near the lower ends of the frames is revoluble a shaft 8. A pulley 9 on the outer end of the shaft 8 is adapted to drive the same. Pulleys 10 are loosely mounted on the shaft 8 and are each provided with a clutch 11, either of which may be thrown into operation at will by means of the lever 13 and the connecting rod 12. These clutches may be of any desired construction and can be purchased in the open market. The pulleys 10 connect to the pulleys 14 secured to the upper shaft 6 by means of the straight belt 15 and the crossed belt 16. So long as the lever 12 is in the position as shown in Fig. 1 the shaft 8 may turn freely without affecting the shaft 6. When the lever 12 is moved to the left in Fig. 1 the shaft 6 will revolve in the same direction as the shaft 8, and when the lever is moved to the right the shaft 6 will turn in the opposite direction. A bevel gear 20 is provided with a hub 18, which is journaled in the bearing 21 at the outer end of the frame 3, which gear meshes with the pinion 22 on the end of the shaft 6. A spindle 23 is vertically movable in the hub of the gear 20, which has a feather 19 that slides in a groove in the spindle. A bracket 25 projects forward from the column 3 and has a bearing 26 at its outer end. In this bearing is vertically slidable a sleeve 27 to which is attached a rack 28. Revoluble in the bearings 26 is a shaft 29 which has a hand-wheel 30 at one end and also carries a gear 24 which meshes with the rack 28. A collar 32 is secured to the spindle 23 and between it and the sleeve 27 is placed a ball-race 33. A collar 34 on the sleeve 27 will contact with the bearing 26 to prevent the spindle being forced down too far. The end 35 of the spindle is cone shaped and an arm 36, having a downwardly extending finger 37, is secured to the spindle. Legs 40 rest on the base 1 and support a tank 41 for the coating liquid. A short post 42 supports a cylinder 43 which connects to the bottom 44 of the tank. This cylinder has a counter-bore so as to reduce the bearing surface which comes in contact with the piston 46. The piston is hollow as shown, and fits over the spring 47. This piston is counterbored at its upper end to receive the revoluble spindle 48 which connects to a plate 49. Grooves are formed in the wall of the here at the upper end of this piston and ducts 59 connect with the outside as shown in Fig. 2. The wall of the piston is slotted "wol nearl Y the entire distance below the line tween two spokes of the vehicle wheel.

38 0 J 1g. zfihthe surfaeecfihmlfitgm above this line is provided with grooves 51. .The operation of the machine is as follows.--The tank 11 is partially filled with a liquid to be applied to the vehicle wheel, and the spindle 23 is raised by means of the hand-wheel 30. A vehicle wheel is then placed upon the plate 29 and the spindle is lowered, the point 35 entering the bore of the hub and thus centering the wheel. The finger 37 on the arm will extend down be- By further turning the wheel 30 the spring l? is compressed, the vehicle wheel resting on the plate 49 will be depressed below the surface of the liquid. The lower limit of the movementof the plate 49 may be fixed by the collar 34 on the sleeve 27. After a sul'licient length of time, depending upon the liquid, the wheel 30 is reversed, thereby raising the sleeve 27 and the spindle 23, and permitting the spring 17 to raise the plate 4:9 and the vehicle wheel thereon out of the liquid. The lever 12 is then moved in one direction, throwing one of the clutches 11 into action and causing the spindle 28, the arm 36, the vehicle wheel and the plate 19 to revolve, resulting in all waste paint or other liquid being thrown off by centrifugal force against the outer shell of the tank d1 from whence l it will run back into the main body of the liquid. After the wheel has revolved sufficient revolutions in one direction the lever 12 is swung over to the other side causing the vehicle wheel to be revolved in the opposite direction. Any excess of the liquid which was not thrown off at the first series of the revolutions will be thrown off during the second series. The spindle is then stopped and lifted sufiiciently high to release the wheel which is then taken away and replaced by another.

Connectedtothe sleeve QTis a chain 60 which connects to the collar 34 on the sleeve 27 and also to a weight 61 on the frame 3 and passes over rollers within the frame, mounted on pins 62 as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. This weight will counter -balance the spindle and sleeve 27. The liquid in the tank d1 will pass freely through the slots 52 in the plunger 16 and when the upper ends of these slots are below the upper surface of the bottom of the tank, connection with the interior of the spring case is established by means of grooves 51. By reason of. the circumferential grooves and the opening 59 the space around the spindle as will always to be fitted with fresh paint so that there will be no dry cakes formed therein which would prevent free rotation.

Having now explained my improvements what 1 claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. in a wheel painting machine, the conibination of a tank, a cylinder connecting to the bottom of said tank and having its lower eTd closed, a hollow piston slidable in said cylinder and having its wall. slotted and grooved, a spring within the piston and cylinder, a revoluble plate at the upper end of the piston and adapted to receive the wheel to be painted, a spindle supported above the plate, means to move the spindle up and down at will, and means to revolve the spindle in either direction.

in a wheel painting machine, the combination of a paint receptacle having a central cylindrical portion extending downward, a spring within the extension, :1 wheel. snp iierting piston within the extension and supported by th spring, a revolnble plate at. the upper end of the piston, a frame, a vertical spindle mounted in the frame, means to move the spindle up and down, means to revolve the spindle in either direction at will, and an arm on the lower end of the spindle to engage the wheel on the revoluble pla to.

3. In a wheel painting machine, the combination of a tank, a spring held wheel support mounted in said tank, a revolnble plate varl'ied thereby, a bed on which said tank is mounted, upright frames on said bed, parallel shafts carried by said frames at their upper and lower ends, means to drive the upper shaft from the lower in either direction at will, a vertically movable sleeve supported by one column, a spindle revoluble therein, means to raise and lower the spindle and sleeve, and gears between the spindle and the upper shaft for driving the i spindle.

t. In a wheel painting machine, the combination of a tank to receive the coating liquid, a spring held wheel support within the tank, a rcvolnble and vertically movable wheel driving device above the tank, and means on said driving device to engage the wheel on the support.

In a wheel painting machine, the combination of a tank to receive the coating liquid, a revolnble plate to receive the wheels, a spring held device to support the plate, a revoluble and vertically mo *able spindle centrally mounted above the plate and tank, means to revolve the spindle in either direction, and means on the spindle to engage the spokes of the wheels.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JACOB HEINZ. lVitnesses Minor: NEAL, FRANK R, DO'UGALL. 

